Officials Lift Martin County Dengue Fever Advisory

No new cases of the mosquito-borne illness have been reported in the Rio-Jensen Beach area since September. Health officials lifted the advisory on Tuesday.

Over a five-month period, 22 people in the area developed the signs of the illness, which include high fever and aching bones.

Health officials issued the alert during the summer after officials confirmed cases of the illness. It is spread by mosquito and officials say the risk goes down as the temperatures get cooler and the insects are not as much of a concern.

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Public health workers will be asking about 300 people for blood samples amid a dengue fever outbreak that has sickened 18, the Palm Beach Post reports. Workers from the Florida Department of Health in Martin County will knock on doors at more than 700 homes to figure out how widespread the mosquito-borne virus outbreak is.

The Florida Department of Health released a statement urging residents to take precautions against mosquitoes, due to three Martin and St. Lucie County residents contracting dengue fever. Locally-acquired dengue is very rare in the United States, despite over 100 million cases of the mosquito-borne disease worldwide each year. Florida Department of Health Environmental Health Director Bob Washam offers some advice on how to protect yourself.